Pasteli

Today’s specialty is Pasteli (Παστέλι) a Greek candy, which typically can be found on the islands of Greece. The confection is primarily made out of honey and sesame seeds and is perhaps the first energy bar in history. Pasteli is also offered to brides and grooms at their wedding ceremonies, as the sesame symbolizes fertility and the honey stands for sweet life.

But now don’t let us waste any more time and get right to work.

You need:

· 1 cup of sesame seeds
· ½ cup of honey
· 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange juice
· Lemon peel
· ⅓ cup of pistachios or nuts, cut in halves (optional)

 You can also add:

· ¼ cup of sugar (please read note below)

Now all you have to do is follow the next few steps and you will have your own Ancient Greek Honey Sesame Bars.

1. Add the sesame seeds to a pan and let them roast over low to medium heat.

2. Once they have a light golden brown color, remove the pan from the stove and put the seeds on a plate, to prevent them from getting to dark. Set them aside.

3. Now add the honey, lemon peel, lemon or orange juice and sugar, if you want to add it, to a pot.

4. Use medium heat until simmering and stir the mix continuously for about 5 minutes.

5. Turn of the heat and immediately add the sesame seeds and nuts/pistachios to the honey mix. Mix them well.

6. Pour the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking pan flatten the mix. You might want to use olive oil to avoid sticking.

7. If you did not use sugar, place the bars in the refrigerator and let them cool down for about 30 minutes.

8. Once they are semi-hard, cut them into bars or another shape of your desire. Our tip is to wrap each bar in parchment paper and store them in the fridge.

 Notes:

• Adding sugar to the mix will make the bars harder and they will stay firm even when left at room temperature.
• If you use sugar, don’t put them in the fridge to cool down, but let them cool down at room temperature. Check when they are semi-hard and cut them into bars. Do not wait too long as the sugar will make them hard and difficult to cut.

Now enjoy your self-made candy bars.